| Non-invasive radial artery blood pressure waveform measuring apparatus system and uses thereof -> Monitor Keywords |
|
|
 
Non-invasive radial artery blood pressure waveform measuring apparatus system and uses thereofRelated Patent Categories: Surgery, Diagnostic Testing, Cardiovascular, Detecting Blood Vessel Pulsation, Pulse Indicator, Entire Testing Assembly Supported On WristNon-invasive radial artery blood pressure waveform measuring apparatus system and uses thereof description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060195035, Non-invasive radial artery blood pressure waveform measuring apparatus system and uses thereof. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a non-invasive apparatus system for measuring radial artery blood pressure (BP) waveform by applying an apiezoelectric sensor, particularly to a measuring apparatus system, which can be used in heart rate variability (HRV) measurement, autonomic nervous system. (ANS) measurement, personal identification, respirotary cycle and cough monitoring, home quarantine, and hospital quarantine thereof. [0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art [0004] Heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) (systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP)) are two important physiological parameters, which can be measured through a conventional electronic wrist or wrist blood pressure (BP) apparatus. Such apparatus has become one of the most necessary medical appliances due to easy uses and reasonable costs. BP waveform, another crucial hysiological parameter, however, may not be measured through any easily operating and accurate apparatus system yet. [0005] The electronic BP measuring apparatus currently available in the market may only measure and show SBP (the maximum value of BP waves) and DBP (the minimum value of BP waves). [0006] A conventional electronic wrist blood pressure (BP) apparatus usually comprises a pump for pumping airs, an air escape valve, a barometer, an air duct, a wristlet with an included air bag, a circuit module, and a casing. When measuring BP, the air pump and air escape valve pressurize and decompress said air bag, meanwhile, wrist radial artery BP is transmitted to the barometer through an air bag. Then, software/hardware installed on a circuit magnifies and filters the pulse wave signals of said barometer to estimate HR, SBP, and DBP. [0007] Physiologically, besides HR, SBP, and DBP, precise radial artery BP waveform (its clinical applications will be detailed later) is also a crucial physiological parameter. Even though the BP measuring technique mentioned above can be conducted by recording radial artery BP waveform with a barometer, due to the factors such as material characteristic of said air bag and geometric shape, original form of BP waves may not be delivered to said air bag. Moreover, BP waveform is dampened and weakened when it is delivered from said air bag, through air duct, to barometer, which results in the loss of sensitivity and accuracy of measured BP waveform. In order to ensure more accurate radial artery BP waveforms, the sphygmography currently available in the market has been installed with a circular-shaped pressure sensor having about 5-mm diameter. When performing measurements, the circular-shaped pressure sensor is attached onto the wrist radial artery with an adhesive tap or rubber band at first, then the signal wire is connected with a circuit board or computer. Generally, the circular pressure sensor is made of Resistor-type conductive materials, and its principle is similar to a Strain Gauge's, including components such as magnification circuits, temperature effect compensation, and linear processing. When resistor-type materials are under pressure, the variable of resistance, current, or voltage is proporational to pressure value, by which the pressure value can be recorded. The technique stated above can actually measure the specifics and original form of radial artery BP waveforms. However, it fails to accurately control the pressure occurred when fixing a circular pressure sensor onto the wrist. [0008] It can be found through a test that the pressure occurred when fixing the circular pressure sensor onto the wrist is crucial to the measurement of BP waveforms. If the pressure is too light (i.e. only fixing the sensor with an adhesive tape or rubber band as stated above), under some circumstances such as fleshy wrist, soundless radial artery, or thready Pulse, the pressure sensor may not obtain clear BP waveform signals. If the pressure is too heavy, radial artery blood stream is greatly obstructed, which results in distortion of measured BP waveform. Moreover, due to factors such as the wrist shape and size and deep position of radial artery, the circular-shaped strain gauge may not find correct artery position unless a trained doctor or nursing staff feels the pulse with fingers to find correct artery and fasten the circular-shaped strain gauge thereon. Such operation is not easy and convenient. That is one reason why the sphygmography or similar apparatus could not be used as home medical appliances like a digital BP monitor. [0009] Moreover, there have been proposed a variety of conventional personal identification techniques, including facial image analysis, voice recognition, fingerprint recognition, blood type, eyes, hair, and handwriting analysis, and advanced DNA cell identification analysis. The present invention found from a test that each artery BP waveform is unique due to the difference of individual's heart size and shape, myocardium structure, and arterial tree structure, and can be regarded as personal identification characteristics. Although artery BP waveforms may vary due to factors such as emotions and environments (i.e. HR accelerates or BP increases when feeling nervus or angry), only if the normalization of BP waveform to HR and BP value, waveform characteristics will become stable as individualized characteristics. [0010] Currently, the typical apparatus for measuring heart rate variability (HRV) and autonomic nervous system (ANS) is electrocardiograph (ECG or EKG) machine. HRV refers to the heartbeat rate (or HR). Besides, Homeostasis remains about 60-90 times per minute, some regular or irregular wave motions have been hided therein. When using an electrocardiograph (ECG) machine to measure HR and its variability, electrodes need to be stuck onto a patient's hand and foot (and thoracic cavity) in order to measure periodical ECG signal, and then estimate the peak-to-peak interval (i.e. R-R interval, R peak is the highest peak of ECG wave) of measured ECG wave, Theough the peak-to-peak interval sequence, each parameter of HR and HRV can be estimated further. For example, the average of Peak-to-Peak interval sequence is heart period; the reciprocal of heart period is heart rate (HR); the standard deviation of peak-to-peak interval sequence is heart rate variability (HRV); such peak-to-peak interval sequence data can be transformed to a spectrum through the fast fourier transform (FFT). Through the spectrum analysis, total power of HRV can be divided into two components--high frequency (HF, 0.15-0.4 Hz) component and low frequency (LF, 0.04-0.15 Hz) component. Through animal and human body experiments, De Boer et al. (Hemodynamic Fluctuations and Baroreflex Sensitivity in Humans: A Beat-to-Beat Model.; American Journal of Physiology; 253: H680-H689; 1987) verified that HRV (that is, standard deviation of peak-to-peak interval sequnece), total power represents autonomic nervous activity, low frequency represents sympathetic nervus system (ANS), high frequency represents parasympathetic nervus system, and the ratio of low frequency to high frequency (LF/HF) represents automatic nurve balance. Since autonomic nervous system controls various conscious and unconscious body activities, such as HR, BP, blood suger, sleep, perspiration, bronchiectasis, and so on, there is a need to provide a user-friendly and low-price automatic nurver monitor for medical use. Currently, the field of medical science uses the electrocardiograph (ECG) machine to measure HRV and ANS capability, but such operation is not only complicated (i.e. requiring large-scale apparatus and specialized software, pasting many electrodes, testee's action is restricted, etc.), but also high-cost (initial apparatus and software cost, and follow-out training and electrode cost). [0011] Upon inspiration, signals from respiratory center in brain spillovers to vasomotor center. Through autonomic Nerve (sympathetic nerve and para-sympathetic nerve) reflex, spillover signal makes HR and systole increase and decrease regularly in accordance with respirotary cycle, therefore, artery BP waveform can be accurately recorded, HR variation is further estimated and analyzed, and then respirotary frequency and waveform is detected. In addition, the peak of arterial pressure (corresponding to the specific point of SBP) and trough (corresponding to the specific point of DBP) also rise and fall in accordance with the respirotary cycle (also called as arterial respiratory waves in medical terms). In addition to the factors such as signal spillover of respiratory center, arterial respiratory waves are also derived from another two psysiological functions, as follows: (1) diaphragm descends upon inspiration to bring negative pressure, while the amount of blood flew from blood vesels to heart decreass, leading to the decrease of Cardiac Output and immediate drop of BP; (2) blood vessels of thoracic cavity has changes in pressure due to ascending and descending of the diaphragm; through Baroreceptor Reflex, such changes make arterial pressure rise and fall in accordance with respirotary frequency (for details on the physiological phenomenon and principle mentioned above, refer to "Textbook of Medical Physiology", Authored by Arthur C. Cuyton, Eighth Edition, W. B. Saunders Company, ISBN 0-7216-3087-1, 1991, Chapter 13). As understood from above, through precise recording of artery BP waveform, respirotary frequency and waveform can be obtained through analyzing the rising and falling of the peak or trough. [0012] Moreover, infectious disease prevention and medical care is a focal point in the medical system. Take the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) inflicted throughout Asia in recent years for example, since the routes of SARS infection are mainly person-to-person air-borne infection, the most effective strategy of SARS prevention is isolating the patients with others. As regards other infectious diseases, regardless of diseases inflected through airs (i.e. tuberculosis) or blood and body fluid (i.e. AIDS), one of the most important issues in the field of health care is how to decrease close contact between patients (or suspected patients) and medical personnel or family. Furthermore, as regards hospital quarantine and monitoring, the current standard treatment procedures in the hospital include: medical personnel get into isolation wards daily to measure patients' body temperature, heartbeat, and BP several times(i.e. four times in one day) and observe the patients' symptoms (i.e. dyspnea and cough). The execution of this procedure often makes the medical personnel subjected to be inflected. Accordingly, if the isolated patient's physiological signals can be automatically delivered from isolation wards to nursing station, the probability of infection through person-to-person contact can be reduced. In addition, major symptoms of common infectious diseases include favor, palpitations, tachypnoea, cough, sneeze, abnormal BP, and so on. When the non-invasive radial artery BP waveform measuring technique, conventional body temperature measuring technique, as well as conventional wireless or wired transmission techniques in the present invention are integrated, as long as isolated patients carry the wrist physiological monitor of the present invention (will be detailed latter), their physiological signals (including body temperature, HR, BP, respirotary waveform, and cough) will be delivered out of a ward, so that the purpose of reducing close contact can be achieved. [0013] As regards home quarantine and monitoring, in view of the SARS prevention experiences recently, the biggest loophole in epidemic prevention is that those who are subject to home quarantine leaves home without permission. Another technical demand of home quarantine is obtaining isolated people's physiological signals regularly (i.e. everyday) to control overall epidemic situation. Currently, health organizations in many countries use the approach of sending related personnel to investigate isolated people. However, such measure not only requires a lot of human resources, but also makes infection through close contact to occur easily. Through integrating the apparatus and methods in the present invention, including: (1) non-invasive wrist BP waveform measuring technique, (2) personal identification technique, (3) respiratory waveform technique, and (4) cough monitoring technique; and conventional (1) blood temperature measurement technique,(2) wireless or wired transmission technique, and (3) BP measurement technique, the physiological signals (such as body temperature, HP, BP, cough, etc.) of those who are subject to home quarantine can be regularly sent to hospitals or the health authority. This not only prevents those who are subject to home quarantine from leaving home without permission (or from being substituted by others), but also estimates numbers of the sick and their location, so that the epidemic can be controlled. [0014] As described above, BP waveform rises and falls periodically during normal breathing. However, if a person coughs or sneezes suddenly, his diaphragm and thoracic cavity vibreates rapidly, which cause irregular change of BP waveform quickly. When cough or sneeze stops, the BP waveform resumes normal condition. Accordingly, through the analysis of personal BP waveform baseline and abrupt change, the symptoms (such as cough or sneeze) a testee may have can be detected. [0015] R.O.C. patent 363404 disclosed using an ECG converter (which contains electrodes) for analyzing HRV to measre electric signals occurred due to systole, and estimating HRV through the fourier transform and spectrum analysis. However, the purpose of such invention is to provide a newest ECG converter for analyzing HRV. It features the design the new hardware and software and apparatus system. [0016] R.O.C. patent 176323 disclosed using a non-invasive autonomic nervous system monitoring apparatus system to monitor the autonomic nervous system side effect of patients who take medicine, as well as aging degree or treatment effects. [0017] In the prior art described above, the previous invention did not disclose any new non-invasive piezoelectric sensor for accurately measuring wrist radial artery BP waveform as shown in the present invention. Moreover, the invention did not disclose any new non-invasive piezoelectric sensor for uses in HRV measurement, ANS measurement, personal idntification, respirotary cycle and cough monitoring, home quarantine, and hospital quarantine, either. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0018] Accordingly, a primary purpose of the present invention is to overcome above-mentioned technical and operating difficulties to develop a set of non-invasive, user-friendly apparatus system for accurately measuring radial artery blood pressure (BP) waveform. [0019] Another purpose of the present invention is to measure physiological mean blood pressure (PMBP) by applying the non-invasive BP waveform technique, which can accurately measure BP waveform and estimate PMBP through the integral value of BP waveform--time chart, and SBP and DBP measured by a conventional electronic BP measuring apparatus. [0020] Another purpose of the present invention is to monitor heart rate variability (HRV) and autonomic nervous system (ANS) by applying the present non-invasive, user-friendly, low cost, and highly accurate radial artery BP waveform measuring apparatus system. [0021] Another purpose of the present invention is to use the present non-invsive BP waveform measuring apparatus system for uses in personal identification. [0022] Another purpose of the present invention is to use the present non-invsive lood pressure waveform measuring technique to achieve the objective of monitoring physiological parameter such as respirotary frequency and waveform. Continue reading about Non-invasive radial artery blood pressure waveform measuring apparatus system and uses thereof... Full patent description for Non-invasive radial artery blood pressure waveform measuring apparatus system and uses thereof Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Non-invasive radial artery blood pressure waveform measuring apparatus system and uses thereof patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Non-invasive radial artery blood pressure waveform measuring apparatus system and uses thereof or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Device and method for the continuous non-invasive measurement of blood pressure Next Patent Application: Heartbeat measuring device Industry Class: Surgery ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Non-invasive radial artery blood pressure waveform measuring apparatus system and uses thereof patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 0.28342 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Tyco , Unilever , Warner-lambert , 3m 174 |
 * Protect your Inventions * US Patent Office filing 
PATENT INFO |
|
